♥LovetheNewMe♥

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-and-weight-loss-five-truths

Good luck to you, I am glad you didn't give up. Weight loss is hard, I put it right up there with other addictive problems like alcohol and drugs. Unless you have lived it no one can identify with what we feel and all the trials and tribulations we go through on our journey to try and be healthy. I wish you success and keep us updated on your success. Do not get discourage, seeking help is half the battle and we want to succeed.

Yes, I did and still do when I want it to be thick and extra cold, you can also add peanut butter, berries and sugar free syrups to change up the flavors. I use peanut butter powder which is lower in fat and calories than regular peanut butter. I love vanilla protein powder, peanut butter and sugar free salted carmel syrup. Tastes like a milkshake to me that is good for me.

No you are not over sensitive, I told my husband one night that if he was going to continue to gorge himself he would have to eat some where else. He laughed but I was dead serious,

Congratulations on your date, this is an exciting time and an opportunity to prepare your self for a wonderful journey.

You still look amazing, I think gaining back is what we all fear. I am 19 months post op and have lost 103 lbs with 17 to go and what you are going through is what I fear most as get closer and closer to goal. I am sometimes obsessed with exercise even though I don't eat much junk. I do log my food everyday on MFP and have for a while, I was stuck and needed to figure out why. I say the write ups on the pouch test but just could not bring my self to go back to liquids so I just kept adjusting my food, had my band filled and exercised my butt off. Finally the inches started to drop again and the scales slowly. I hope this works for you, we were successful before and I am sure you will be successful again. Good Luck

Maria, some peoples gas lasts longer than others, that was probably my worst problem, I had more gas and nausea than a lot of my friends. My doctor gave me Xoforan that would dissolve under my tonge for the nausea and I lived on gasx, I am honestly surprised I did not OD on gas x. You are pretty far post op to still be having gas pains?? Have you been back for a post op visit and discussed these issues with your surgeon? What foods are you eating? If you are truly in a lot of pain I strongly recommend you call you MD.

My goal is more about the protein intake than the calories, I try to take in 120 plus grms of protein a day, I try to keep my carbohydrate choices down to less than 100 a day. Early in this process I took in between 60-80 gms of protein a day and never worried about my carbs. My only reason now for monitoring is that I am lifting weights and trying to tone and to build muscle to burn fat i need more protein than I was normally taking in. For me so far this is working and I am 17 lbs from my ideal body weight and have lost 103 lbs to date. I do not rely on my band to restrict me, because restriction is not the real use of the band. Suggestions for reading, the WLS Magazine on this site has some really good artilces on how to develop a healthy life style, and discusses how the band truly functions. Restriction: The Holy Grail. Opinion only but the more we know about how this band works and the sooner we develop healthy habits this will lead to not only weight loss but long term success. We all need to remember, this is not a diet but a plan to develop healthy eating habits.

As long as you have truly cut back on your carbs you should be fine. We all know this is hard but it is an important part of the journey, it decreases your complications during surgery.

Great, sounds like you are ready for this life style change.

So sorry, this has happened again! My port is slightly tilted and has been since surgery but I did not need to have it revised. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you. I hope your wrong and they can fix it will minimal surgery.

I gave up my starbucks also but it took be a year and i had to hire a trainer. I did change to a triple tall skinny vanilla latte but I am starbucks free now for 3 months, They will probably go broke with out my gold card.

Congratulations on your new milestone.!

Ok, I never thought of myself as a gym rat. Actually gyms used to intimidate me, I never joined an actual gym until 6 weeks ago because I really felt intimidated by all the equipment. But now that has changed, I am 19 months into this life changing event and I was stuck. Stuck in my progress that is, so again I decided to take things down an unfamiliar trail, joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. Wow, I had no idea where all this was going but I can actually say, I love to exercise now, I am addicted to my gym, my trainer, my Nordic Track and my Fitbit. 4 weeks into this I lose 5 lbs and 9.5 inches. The gym is exactly what I needed, I will be interested to see how active this group is and what else I can learn. I work out with a trainer 3 days a week and do cardio 6 days a week. Thursday are my rest day from training and cardio and Sundays are my one day a week I allow myself extra carbohydrates. I am very regimented in my diet and my exercise, this is my new life now and I am loving it.

Planning is truly the key to success, good luck to you. Sounds like your head is in the right place.

Sorry your first experience eating out was bad. It took me time to learn to eat out and as I look back now I think I spent more time in the bathroom throwing up what I could not eat than sitting at the table with my husband. In the beginning it was hard for me to constantly explain to people why I was so picky, why I didn't clean my plate and no it was not the food it was me. My husband was my best advocate, he had no problem saying, My wife had WLS and she needs a small plate, or we are going to share, or yes she wants the children's menu and no we are not paying extra. At first I was embarrassed by his comments but finally I gave in and realized he was right, unless I started speaking up I was going to end up eating things that made me sick or things I did not want. I have my favorite places to eat. PF Changes, Love there Ahi Tuna appetizer and cup of Hot and Sour Soup. I ate so much of this in my early days I had a gallbladder attach. The raw tuna was to rich for me! I love my local Mexican restaurant, they cater to me, they understand I had surgery and can see the transformation in me. They have fish taco's with grilled Tilapia that I love, I just don't eat the corn shells, no rice. I have rarely showen my card but we have done a lot of explaining, the one thing I have learned is this is my body and I will chose what I put into it. It does get better, order off the appetizer menu and if possible scope out the menu of the restaurant before you go online and you can know what your going to eat before you get there, If all else fails, always carry a protein bar, a cheese stick, some jerky or other protein with you so you don't feel pressured into eating something you do not want.

I suggest you read the WLS magazine they started on this site, it is full of information and suggestions for continued success. I know you are new and like a sponge wanting to grab on to all the info you gather. My biggest support I can give you is to go into this procedure with your eyes wide open, think of it as a tool from the beginning and realize this is a life style changing event you have decided to take in your life. This is not a diet and you should never think of it as such. I am 19 months post op and almost at goal weight, I have to date lost 102 lbs and look and feel like a different person. I love my lap band it was just the tool I needed to help me be successful. Some other suggestions I have is go to the main Lapband.com web sites and watch the videos, you need to watch them all, you need to arm your self with as much info on how to eat, how much and what before surgery. I hope you have found a protein that you like because in the early months this is going to be key in your nutrition, you need to understand the talk like, what a slider is, what PB means, what it means to slime. All of this info is on the web sites. I lived on these web sites my first 6 weeks post op, I read everyone;s posts I rarely commented until I was comfortable but I can only say the people on these web sites were my support group they helped me and supported me when I needed it most. Good luck to you and we will be looking forward to supporting you in your journey to a healthy life style.

Great article, it took months before I really understood this and once I did it made my eating and losing so much easier. Learning to listen to your body and your band is key to this procedure. My band is part of me and I rarely think about it. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, it really is very informational.

Hello all, My name is Diane and I had lapband surgery October 2010. I have lost 102.5 lbs to date and am 17.5 lbs from my ideal body weight. I love my lapband and have no regrets. I had been mordidly obese for a number of years, I had tried every fad diet that came a long and would lose weight but wold always gain it back plus an additonal 10, 20 or 30 lbs. I was at my heaviest in 2008-2009 hitting an all time high of 252 lbs. I had bad knees, sleep apnea, hypertension and borderline diabetes. Lap band has been my path to developing a healthy life style. My journey has not been with out its ups and downs but I am determined that this will be a way of life not another fad diet. I have a different outlook on life now, I feel healthy and I want to live healthy. My goals now are to continue my journey, loss my final pounds and help others be successful. Myfitnesspal.com user name is the same as Lapband talk, LovetheNewMe, add me if you want to join us on our journey.

Also as a side note you may want to stay away from Crawfish, shrimp and lobster, they have a high tendancy to get stuck because they do not chew up as easily as other seafood.

When something gets stuck and we either "PB" or vomit it can cause swelling around the band and sometimes it can take up to 24 to be able to take in solids again. As others have stated, thin liquids should always go down easily, if you are having trouble or pain with just coffee you may be too tight. As far as something being still stuck, that is highly unlikely, if it was still stuck above the band your gastric juices should have either, 1 tried to pull it through the band or 2 made you throw it back up. I have had several severe episodes of being stuck before and they are very painful. If you are unable to take in liquids today, it is very important that you contact your MD in the morning our his answering service today so they can see you. As I stated before, dehydration is one of the problems that you can have if you are not able to take in fluids, try thinning down a protein shake and sipping on it this morning to try and take in not only liquids but some nutrition. The hot coffee may be irritating the swelling that you already have and the cool liquids may be easier to pass. But please contact your MD if this continues it is nothing to mess with.

Sounds like you are a little full. I have had to have an unfill once but I was unable to pass any fluids with out frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog. After my last fill at the end of January this year it took me 3 weeks before I was really able to eat solids again. I was able to take in liquids, slow but was able to take them in with out vomiting or PB. The band will loosen over time but general rule is if you can not get liquids down or a shake down within 20 minutes you are too full. Be careful and do not wait to long to be reassessed it is very easy to become dehydrated and malnourished. Good luck!

It really is a shock when we realize how much we can really eat. 6ozs does not seem like much but it does satifiy us if our bands are in the green zone. I do agree that shakes can be the ultimate sliders unless you have them programed into your program, I can not do just the 3 meals a day and keep my metabolism up to lose weight. I do drink protein or eat a protein bar twice a day between my breakfast and lunch. I probably only eat 3-4 ozs of lean meats at my meal times because I become over full with 4ozs. I still eat between 1000 -1200 calories a day and get between 90-120 grms of protein. I think everyone has to find their personal sweet spot and adjust there eating along the way. What worked for me a year ago does not work for me today. The right balance of diet and exercise is the key to long term success. I don't believe any food should be off limits if we can learn portion size and correct balance, this is not a diet for me but a way of life. Good luck to you and much success!

Congratulations to you, my story is similar to yours. I wanted to be healthier and live like my mother to be healthy enough and grow old to watch my children, grand children and great grand children to grow up. I am fortunate to still have my mother who is 85 and healthy, if I can be half the women she has been and live to her age in good health it will be a blessing. As Jennifer said, this has been a journey, a life changing experience, that I am not sure any of us knew exactly how difficult it would really be. I would do it again tomorrow but am so glad that I finally woke up a year and a half ago and decided to make this change in my life. This journey is not without trails and tribulations but if you are willing to work hard, change your habits and develop health alternatives your dreams are possible. Happy Mother's Day to you and I hope you have continued success.

Yeah, it is a new concept, chewing our food. But it makes so much difference. I am a year and a half into this and sometimes, I still have to remind myself. Chew, Chew, Chew and than Chew some more. I still get stuck occcassionally, usually do to being in a hurry and not taking time to chew. I really find it difficult to eat at work when stressed and busy and do best if I eat in my office. Something about eating in the cafeteia always get stuck, everyone eats so fast and I eat so slow so having lunch with me means you take your full 30 minutes.